Increasing leisure time in our modern world has led to an increase in many different types of leisure time activities. One activity currently enjoying increased popularity is pleasure boating.
Boats can provide families with a variety of water-related activities, such as fishing, swimming and water skiing. Each type of activity provides the opportunity for a boat owner to modify his craft with accessories which can make his chosen activity more enjoyable. However, not all accessories are adaptable for installation on all boats.
In the case of fishing accessories, most are designed to be universal, i.e., adaptable for installation and usage on all boats.
Accessories relating to swimming and water skiing are not so adaptable. One common accessory for such activities is a swim platform for attachment to the transom at the rear of the boat to facilitate ingress and egress between the boat and the water. Most boats are designed with rather tall gunwales and sterns, both for the safety of the passengers and to preclude swamping of the boat during rough weather. This makes climbing into the boat from the water difficult at best for swimmers and water skiiers returning to the boat. A swim platform, rigidly attached to the boat transom, usually just above the water line, greatly facilitates climbing back into the boat.